Kieron Pollard stuns New South Wales
Pollard went berserk today pulverising the New South Wales bowling to retrieve Trinidad an Tobago from a desperate position. He lashed 54 runs in only 18 balls guiding his team to victory with nine balls remaining. His violent assault surely gave them the blues.
It was the Kieron Pollard show today as Trinidad and Tobago stunned the powerful Australian state side New South Wales Blues in a remarkable IPL Champions League Twenty20 Super Eights encounter in Hyderabad.
Some amazing power hitting by Pollard, probably never seen before at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad, pulled Trinidad and Tobago out of a hole at 118 for 6 with only 28 balls left to get 53 runs. The situation look all but hopeless against tight, disciplined bowling and athletic fielding and with the side’s best batsmen back in the dugout.
He smashed five sixes and five fours as his 54 in only 18 balls which took Trinidad and Tobago past New South Wales’ score of 170 for 4.He hit Moises Henriques for 26 in the 17th over and when the same bowler returned in the 19th over with Trinidad and Tobago needing 16 to win the six foot five Pollard cracked the first ball to mid wicket for four, lifted the next for six and it was the same treatment for the third ball.
The New South Wales team captained by Australian opener Simon Katich and the bowling attack of Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Doug Bollinger and Nathan Hauritz trudged off the ground dazed and in disbelief at the Pollard blitzkrieg.
It was Trinidad and Tobago’s third successive victory in the tournament and commentators described it as the best match so far and it was felt that Daren Ganga’s men were now one of the favourites for the US$2.5 million prize.
Pollard, who is now seen as a new batting sensation, won the “Man of the Match” award.
New South Wales batted first and rattled up 170, mainly due to a first wicket stand of 121 between Phillip Hughes and David Warner who treated the Trinidad and Tobago bowling with scant respect. Warner made 63 off 41 balls and Hughes made 83 off only 54 balls being one of Dwayne Bravo’s three wickets in the final over. Bravo’s tally made him the leading bowler in the competition with 10 wickets.
Trinidad and Tobago started badly although scoring 24 off the first two overs. By the fifth over the score was 30 for three with Lendl Simmons, William Perkins and Dwayne Bravo back in the dugout.
Skipper Daren Ganga and Darren Bravo steadied the innings somewhat. Both were dismissed by the run out route as was wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin, who was unlucky to be run out for 23 with television replays showing that he had made his ground but the umpire adjudged that it was not properly grounded.
This was the cue for Pollard to go on his memorable rampage.